Baby Grand: Paul Sevigny’s Tribeca Hot Spot

Taxidermy, black leather, reclaimed barn wood—Paul Sevigny has had enough of all that. For his latest venture, the DJ and nightlife guru behind New York’s Beatrice Inn and Kenmare has forgone the manly trappings that practically define bar design today, opting instead for an unapologetically feminine aesthetic. Paul’s Baby Grand, a new boite tucked into the back of the Tribeca Grand Hotel, is being billed as the anti-nightclub: an exuberant, refined, Dorothy Draper–esque refuge where waiters serve drinks on silver trays and cell phones are strictly prohibited. It’s a concept that Sevigny, who tapped his sister Chloë to create uniforms for the staff and the New York artist Josh Smith to make paintings for the walls, has long wanted to explore. “I did a pink room at the Beatrice, which was fun. But this,” he says of the floral wallpaper and upholstery, ornate moldings, and unique chandeliers, “is the full effect.” Of course, entrée into such a rarefied space won’t come easy. “It will be a tight door,” he notes. And no one will be admitted after 2 a.m. “I want this to be the first place people go. Not the last.”

Photo: Peter Ash Lee; Photography Assistant: Zander Price